22-Year-Old Tricycle Rider Sentenced to Five Years in Prison After Fleeing with Borrowed Pragya
A 22-year-old commercial tricycle rider, Ali Francis, has been sentenced to five years in prison by the Nsuta Circuit Court in the Ashanti Region after vanishing with a commercial tricycle valued at GH¢42,000 that was handed to him for a single day’s work.
According to court proceedings led by the prosecution under Detective Chief Inspector Favour Adukpoe, the incident unfolded following a temporary handover of the vehicle. The complainant, Razak Antwi, who operates commercial tricycles from Kyebi, had originally entrusted his Pragya—bearing registration number M-25-AP 598—to a caretaker witness named Yaw Badu for daily business operations.
On September 12, 2026, at approximately 1:00 p.m., Yaw Badu became unwell and temporarily handed the keys over to Francis so he could operate the tricycle for the remainder of the day. Under the arrangement, Francis was expected to return the vehicle and account for the day’s earnings upon finishing work. Instead, the young rider disappeared with the expensive machine, cutting off communication and abandoning his usual routes.
Alarmed by the sudden disappearance of the vehicle, the owner formally reported the theft to the Nsuta Police Station on September 14, 2026. Law enforcement officers subsequently launched a manhunt, visiting Francis’ known residence in Mampong, where he was found to have gone into hiding.
Following his eventual apprehension and prosecution, the Nsuta Circuit Court found him guilty of stealing the GH¢42,000 tricycle and handed down the five-year custodial sentence, serving as a stern warning against breach of trust and theft within the informal transport sector.
Source: Thepressradio.com
